Britain: A Lost Cause?

Kevan James

November 3, 2025

Is The United Kingdom of Great Britain a lost cause? One can see comments to this effect quite frequently on social media; "The UK is finished," they say. What does that mean? Since none of these posts ever expand on their point, we can only surmise they mean the country native Brits once knew. A country that was known around the world for being essentially decent in many ways.

But that country ceased to exist in the way many knew it decades ago, despite its enduring reputation (enduring at least until more recent times). Even so, there is, still, a deeply ingrained part of it left. One might well have to look harder than one used to to find it, but it is there.

Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the UK of today, in 2025, is a pale shadow of what it used to be, what it should be and, even now, what it could still be. Why? And who is responsible for it?

There is an immediate and logical first answer - our politicians. At one time, whatever their background, one could generally rely upon them. Many had served their country in armed conflict - even Tony Benn served in the RAF during the latter stages of World War 2 and if they were 'upper class,' still had roots connecting them to the people they served.

Much of the deterioration is due to age; what might be termed as 'traditional MPs' have grown old and most have passed away. But what was done to ensure those traditions lived on? The short answer is nothing. So who is the blame for that? The simple answer is us - the people.

Decades ago, people who were locally known for their forthright views often responded the same way when it was suggested they stand for parliament: "That's not for common folk like us," they would say. They might possibly have had a point but then, why is it called 'The House of Commons?'

MPs have always - almost - been drawn from ordinary people, despite the origins largely being drawn from the so-called upper classes. And many of those MPs from the working class never forgot who they were in parliament for. Dennis Skinner, former MP for Bolsover was a coal miner before becoming an MP and was well known for his dislike of the Conservatives. At one point a local woman contacted him for help with a problem her Father had and arranged for Skinner to go and see him. Her dad opened the door to Skinner and said, "You ought to know, I didn't vote for you." Skinner replied, "Doesn't matter. You're a constituent." and solved the Father's problem.

That isn't as unique as it sounds today. Some MPs will do whatever is needed to help their constituents, to represent them as they are supposed to. But its also fair to say that too many MPs have become rather remote figures and are not well thought of. So why keep electing them?

Re-election is due to habit and the fact that even though voting figures are down, those that do vote tend to be quite dedicated. But - they are, broadly speaking a minority. Far too many people, across the UK, have a tendency to not vote and say, "What's the point? They never listen." And therein lies the key - by not taking an active interest in your representatives, both in parliament and on your local council, poor quality candidates end up being selected and elected. Far too many begin their time in the Commons in their mid-twenties and stay there for forty years, becoming known as 'career MPs.' Should there be such a beast? My view is no. There should not.

Career MPs have increased in number over the years and often are parachuted into safe seats by their party's headquarters, whether the local association wants them or not. Hence MPs becoming detached from who they are supposed to represent. This became noticeable during the Blair years with the imposition of all-women shortlists and was mirrored by the Conservatives, first under Michael Howard and then even more markedly under David Cameron. The net result, across the country, has meant trust in MPs has dropped off a cliff, exacerbated by the behaviour of some of them.

Yet still the people, en masse, said nothing. Only in recent years and especially since Labour returned to office in July 2024, has any kind of noticeable protest movement really begun. But the UK's decline goes back much further. An again, it comes down to the actions, or inactions, of ordinary people.

Where were the mass protests when, in the late 1960s, young people began to fight at football matches? What were their parents saying? Where were the mass protests against union extremes in the 1970s? And one can continue in this vein since. Those young people of the late 1960s are now grandparents - how did they raise their children and how did they raise their children? And what have those parents and grandparents said as schools have been steadily infiltrated by the far left? Where are the mass protests against the far left using the NHS as a platform to advance political causes?

Sure there have been some big protests now and again - most notably over the Poll Tax in 1990. Whatever the ins and outs over the rioting that went with the protests, and I condemn violence regardless of who starts it, it worked. The Poll Tax was abandoned. And the protests also led to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister - might there be a lesson there for Kier Starmer?

Done correctly, lawfully and peaceably, mass movements by ordinary people can, and will unseat an unpopular government, especially if that government is clearly acting against the interests of the people of the United Kingdom. That's not an unfair accusation to level at the Starmer led crew. And let's also remember, it is a government that, while due electoral process was followed, Kier Starmer's Labour were voted for by a big minority of the eligible population.

That's what you get when you don't vote. That's what you get when you stay silent. So my answer to the question is no - the UK is not finished. It is not a lost cause. But to stop the rot will take positive action - non-violent and lawful - to remove not just the Starmer gang, but also every unrepresentative MP, regardless of party, from the House of Commons.

© Kevan James 2025

Image - Steve Caplin

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